


Two Things

by Idnis



Category: Original Work
Genre: Awkward Flirting, Basically, Bisexual Male Character, Boys Kissing, Gay Male Character, M/M, Midsummer Night's Dream References, Theatre, theatre gays
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-23
Updated: 2018-09-23
Packaged: 2019-07-16 01:52:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,384
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16075862
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Idnis/pseuds/Idnis
Summary: Car has been searching for ways to take revenge on his ex. When the schoolplay arrives, he sees the perfect opportunity.What he didn't see coming, was Starand his pear green eyes.(alternatively, I bring you theatre gays)





	Two Things

**Author's Note:**

> Hello lovely people!
> 
> This was written for the book "Subatomic: and other stories by and about bisexuals". You can find it on kindle, kobo and google books!! Go check out the others stories if you want :) 
> 
> And thank you for trying some of my original work <3 Enjoy! 
> 
> OH AND HAPPY BISEXUAL VISIBILITY DAY

Two things you should know.  
  
Car liked both girls and boys.  
He knew this and thought there was nothing wrong with it.  
  
Two more things you should also probably know.  
  
Car also liked chocolate, and vengeance.  
The kind where your enemy was cleaved in two with your sword, or burned alive by a dragon’s fiery breath.  
  
In this case, the enemy was Violet.   
More like Violent.   
They had been a thing for nearly a year before she decided fame and fortune were more important to her than love.   
Well, Car couldn’t agree more. Except that instead of fame and fortune, he now favoured revenge above everything else.  
  
And the universe had just given him the perfect opportunity.  
  
Standing in front of the red and black poster, Car knew his time had come. Or more accurately, Violent’s time had come.   
  
He grinned.   
He was going to _ruin_ the school play.   
  
⚔   
  
Because the lights were dimmed, sneaking into the theatre was child’s play. People were standing on the stage, claiming all the attention so Car could easily sneak towards the back row. He quickly slid down in one of the chairs, trying to make himself as small as possible.   
  
Of course, he’d barely blinked or even looked at the stage, before _her_ voice boomed through the theatre, reciting something that sounded barely like normal people speech.  
  
‘Make mows upon me when I turn my back!’  
  
Violent’s hair was blinding underneath the stage lights, like a yellow marker. Or something.   
It fitted in a way.   
You underlined something you wanted to remember, and Violent most definitely wanted to be remembered.  
  
‘And though she be but little,’ Violent bellowed, her voice slapping everyone in the theatre in the face, ‘She is—’  
  
The doors behind Car burst open, light flooding the dark room as someone with too many papers in their hands stumbled into the theatre.   
  
Half-turned, Car saw the accident happen just a second too late.   
A second too late for him to do anything other than shriek as the person stumbled towards him, papers flying everywhere.   
Their shoulder collided with Car’s nose, and he leaned back with a shout, causing the other to tip forward and fall over the chair with their legs in the air.  
  
‘What the—’ Car exclaimed, holding his nose, just as a squeak sounded from down below, somewhere near his yellow converse.  
  
‘I’m so so so sorry!’  
  
The legs near Car’s head flailed around. He could hear the other grunting as they tried to push themselves back up. Emphasis on _tried_ .   
Car grabbed the back of their sweater and hauled them upright.  
  
He was instantly met with two things.  
Butterscotch blonde hair and pear green eyes.  
  
Oh, and a stream of words consisting of mostly, ‘Sorry! Sorry! Sorry!’  
  
‘Alistar!’ someone called out. ‘Could you get the scripts _here_ , instead of on the ground?’  
  
‘Yes!’ the guy squeaked, and immediately bent down to pick up the first of many papers.   
  
The first, which was currently lying on Car’s leg.   
And the guy practically _dove_ for it.   
  
Car jerked back in shock.   
  
‘I got it, I got it!’ he shouted, feeling his cheeks burn as he quickly picked up the pages lying on and around him.  
  
‘I’m sorry!’ Alistar said for probably the twentieth time that day. There was a blush on his face, Car noticed, as he peeked out of the corner of his eye.  
  
‘It’s fine,’ he said, standing up. ‘I’ll help you.’  
  
‘Carter?’   
  
Car groaned. _Great_ . Violent had seen him.  
  
For one blissful moment, he’d forgotten all about her.   
If she’d known, she’d be furious. Or maybe she _had_ known, and that was why she was shouting his lame name through the entire theatre.  
  
He turned to her. ‘Yep. Hi.’  
  
Violent laughed at him. ‘What on earth are you doing here?’  
  
He pretended to think about it for a second. ‘Watching you suck at theatre, I think.’  
  
Her laughing stopped, her perfectly drawn eyebrows lowering on her face.   
She was still pretty while she was mad though. It was annoying.  
  
‘How would _you_ know? You don’t know the first thing about theatre!’  
  
He shrugged. ‘Seems we have that in common.’  
  
‘Oh, you little—’  
  
‘Excuse me,’ a woman, who looked like the director, judging by the clipboard she was holding, interrupted Violent’s attempt at verbal violence. ‘I’m trying to hold auditions here. If you’re not here to audition, get out of my theatre.’  
  
‘Don’t worry,’ Violent said scathingly. ‘He’s not here to audition.’  
  
Two words. That left Car’s mouth. They could also be summed up in two words.   
  
_Very stupid.  
  
_ ‘I am,’ he said.  
  
⚔  
  
Backstage, people were frantically rehearsing their lines.   
And Car was frantically freaking out. This was not how his revenge was supposed to go.   
  
His yellow converse squeaked on the floor as he walked back and forth, debating whether or not he should just leave and never talk about this with anyone ever again.  
  
‘H-hi there!’  
  
He stopped pacing, and looked up at pear eyes and butterscotch hair.  
  
‘Alistar, right?’  
  
‘Ah, yeah but I don’t... Don’t really like that name…’ Alistar trailed off, his fingers wrinkling the papers in his hand. This time, it was just one reader, and not fifty or something. ‘A-anyway, I was wondering if you needed the script?’  
  
Before he could answer, Alistar thrust the reader at him.  
  
Car took it, because he was a firm believer in signs. Like, from the stars.   
He believed that having the script put into his hands was a sign he should stop freaking out and start rehearsing.  
  
‘Alright!’ he grinned. ‘Thank you, Star.’  
  
He was already walking back to the chair he’d claimed for himself when a stuttered word stopped him short.  
  
‘S-star?’  
  
Car looked over his shoulder. ‘Yeah, you said you didn’t like Alistar, right?’  
  
Star’s green eyes widened, and the blush that had been on his cheeks for the entirety of their conversation spread to his neck.   
But he smiled back.  
  
‘R-right!’  
  
⚔  
  
‘So you want to try out for Lysander?’  
  
‘Yeah,’ Car answered the director.  
  
‘Do you even know who that is?’ Violent hissed from the side of the stage.   
  
After auditioning, you were allowed to leave the theatre, but of course _she_ would never leave the limelight if she could help it.  
  
‘Yeah I do, I read the script just now.’  
  
‘Okay,’ the director said, then gestured to the stage. ‘Go on then.’  
  
Car scraped his throat and started. ‘Content with Hermia? No: I do repent the tedious minutes I with her have spent.’  
  
After the first few sentences, the rest seemed to flow easily, and his monologue was soon over. Though the stage lights were shining brightly in his face, if he squinted, he could see the director observing him thoughtfully.  
  
On the side of the stage, Violent was seething with rage.   
It was pretty great.  
Not enough for vengeance, obviously, but enough for now.   
  
‘Thank you… Carter, was it?’  
  
‘Car,’ he corrected her.  
  
The director didn’t even blink at that, just scribbled down something on her clipboard before continuing.  
  
‘Okay, Car, we’ll post the results tomorrow. Thank you for auditioning.’  
  
‘No problem,’ he said. ‘Though I am sorry you had to see her perform.’  
  
‘At least I studied the play!’ Violent screeched.   
  
Okay, she didn’t screech. But her voice got all high and scratchy when she was angry. Close enough.  
  
‘ _Thank you_ ,’ the director repeated, voice closer to the microphone than necessary, making everybody temporarily deaf.   
  
Car quickly walked off the stage, to the side where Violent wasn’t standing. He very nearly tripped over a bag as he made his way back. He still wasn’t used to the darkness backstage.  
  
‘How did you do that?’   
  
And then Car almost walked into a wall, so much did he startle from the voice behind him.  
He whirled around and saw Star staring at him in awe.  
  
‘Do what?’  
  
‘I gave you the script an hour ago! You said— I mean— you read the whole thing _and_ memorized the lines?’  
  
Car shrugged. ‘I’m good at memorizing.’  
  
‘Wow. But— That’s not just being _good_ . That’s insane. That’s like a talent!’  
  
Two things.   
Memorizing didn’t feel like a thing to be proud of, and…   
Nobody had ever told Car he was talented at something.  
  
He felt a blush creep up on him, so he quickly looked away.  
  
‘Whatever,’ he mumbled.  
  
Star sighed. ‘I wish I was good at memorizing.’  
  
‘Yeah? Why?’  
  
‘O-oh, just— It’s stupid but… I kind of want to act too.’  
  
After the admission, Star seemed to realize what he’d confessed, because he started waving his hands frantically. ‘Oh sorry, don’t mind me! You don’t know me at all, so what am I even doing, complaining to you?’ He laughed nervously. ‘Sorry.’  
  
Car observed Star. It was a little too dark to see colours, but there was no mistaking that even though the smile was nervous and awkward,   
it was also very beautiful.  
  
‘So you’re not going to try?’  
  
‘Huh?’ Star looked up in surprise. ‘No, no, I don’t think so… I’ve been learning the lines for two weeks, and they just don’t seem to stick.’  
  
‘Can you use cue cards or the script for an audition?’  
  
‘What? Uhh. I guess?’  
  
Car smiled. ‘Great. Let’s go announce your audition.’  
  
The frantic waving started up again. ‘No, no, no— I think that’s— but what— I don’t know the lines!’  
  
Two things.  
  
Car pushed his reader in Star’s hands to stop the frantic waving,   
and to repay him for giving him a sign.  
  
‘If you need a sign to audition,’ he said, giving the reader an extra push. ‘Here’s one.’  
  
Star’s breath left him in a _woosh_ as he stared at him in surprise. They were closer now than before, if you didn’t count the fact that Star’s feet had been in his face.  
  
To his surprise, Car noticed the other was actually a little taller than him.  
  
‘Okay,’ Star whispered finally.  
  
He seemed a little star-struck though.  
  
⚔  
  
The following day, Car stalked through the hallways to get to the bulletboard outside the theatre, where the results would be posted. Were already posted.

Using his elbows, he pushed his way to the front, only to be stopped short by a green sweater and frantically waving hands.  
  
‘Uh, Star?’  
  
‘Oh no, oh no, oh no.’  
  
‘Star?’  
  
Panicked, pear green eyes focused on him. ‘What was I thinking?!’  
  
‘Calm down first,’ Car said, but his curiosity got the better of him.He leaned to the side, peeking at the paper with the results.   
  
Next to the name Lysander was some dude’s name he didn’t know, ‘cause he didn’t learn the names of people who didn’t talk to him.   
But.   
This was so not part of the plan.  
  
‘What the—’ Car started, but Star interrupted him.  
  
‘Oh, congratulations!’  
  
‘Huh?’  
  
Leaning closer, smelling like something generic like pine trees, but still nice, Star pointed at the paper, just a few names down from Lysander’s.  
  
‘You’re Oberon! Cool!’ he said. ‘I’m Puck!’  
  
But that was nowhere near an important enough role for Car to upstage Violent.   
If he wanted to exact his revenge, he needed something better than this, something grander, something-  
  
‘O-oh no…’ Star whispered. ‘I’m Puck…’   
  
Car turned towards him, which was really only turning his yellow converse like an inch or so because Star was still standing close.  
  
‘Good job. You got the part.’  
  
‘What am I going to do?!’   
  
‘Practice?’  
  
Star’s hands shot up like he wanted to shake them, himself, and maybe even Car, but in the end he just let them fall again.  
  
‘I c-can’t- I told you I can’t remember the lines.’  
  
‘So how do you get good grades? I’m assuming you get good grades.’  
  
‘I just pay attention in class. They really focus on the things that will be on the test, you know.’  
  
Car snorted. ‘I’m sure.’  
  
An idea was already forming in his head.   
It didn’t include revenge.   
Yet.  
  
‘What do I d—?’ But before Star could stress out even more, Car grabbed his arm and pulled him away from the throng of people.  
  
‘Here’s what we’re going to do,’ he said, then got interrupted. _Again_ .   
  
‘I’ll tell you what you’re going to do,’ Violent hissed, stepping all up in his personal space.

Her face looked like she’d sucked on a lemon the same shade as her hair. ‘You’re going to tell Miss Salisbury that you lack the attention span to stand up on a stage for longer than ten minutes, and that she’d really ought to recast you, or _I_ will.’  
  
It was the same old argument.  
  
‘Yeah, I don’t think so. But you should really tell her how you ditch something the moment it’s not important to you anymore.’  
  
Violent glared at him. ‘At least I fight for what’s important to me,’ she hissed.  
  
‘You mean you drop everything that’s unimportant to you,’ he shot back.  
  
The bell rang, its obnoxious sound startling them both out of their glaring contest. Which Car had definitely been winning. And to make sure he _really_ got the point across that he _absolutely_ didn’t care, he walked away without another word.  
  
Only when he plunked himself down in the back in Geography, did he remember that he left Star and his panic behind.  
  
_Oops.  
  
_ ⚔  
  
It had been a while since Car had been in the cafeteria, but he figured Star would never sit outside at the picnic tables.   
Not that Star couldn’t smoke, skip classes or start a gang, though the last one seemed a little unlikely, but simply because Car had never seen Star outside.  
And _he_ sat outside almost always.   
  
Except when it rained.  
  
Those cheesy movies got it all wrong. Who would want to willingly stay outside when it was _pouring_?  
Maybe... For a very romantic kiss. One of those kisses that never ended, because every minute felt like a second.  
  
Yeah, Car had never had one of those.  
  
⚔  
  
It was easy to spot Star in the cafeteria now that he knew who to look for.   
Star really was tall.   
And the warm colour of his hair was a shade Car had never quite seen before.  
  
He wondered briefly if Star would stay outside in the rain for a romantic kiss.  
  
Walking up to the table, Car ignored the shifty looks the people at Star’s table were giving him when they noticed he was walking their way.  
  
‘Hey,’ Car spoke up, staring at the butterscotch strands of hair.  
  
Star immediately turned around, and actually smiled when he saw him. What the—  
That was so ridiculous that Car felt his cheeks heating up.  
  
‘Hi Car! What’s up?’  
  
_And_ he remembered his name preference.  
  
Car scraped his throat a little awkwardly. ‘I walked away, uh, before, but I just wanted to say that I’d be willing to help you out. To learn your lines, I mean.’  
  
It was like he told Star he’d have a free year’s supply of chocolate. A delighted smile spread across his face. ‘You’d do that?’ he asked. ‘Really? I mean you don’t have to-’  
  
‘No, yeah, no problem,’ Car said quickly, shuffling his yellow converse against the tacky blueish grey floor of the cafeteria.  
  
‘That’s— Wow, that’s awesome, thank you so much!’   
  
Star watched him with such happiness that Car shrugged awkwardly. He quickly turned around, and left.  
Or tried to.  
  
He was almost gone,  
almost away from the stench of the obsessive need to fit in  
when he heard the squeak of shoes against the floor, and then Star was grabbing the edge of his hoodie.  
  
‘Hey.’ Star was panting a little. And still smiling. ‘If there’s anything I could help _you_ with, just tell me okay?’  
  
The word _vengeance_ blinked on and off in Car’s mind. If he was offering…   
  
‘You don’t happen to have a dragon, do you? Or a sword?’  
  
Star blinked, once, twice, before his mouth and eyes went round like he was a surprised emoji. ‘You’re into fantasy? I never would’ve guessed! I mean, I could’ve guessed because you’re into theatre but I don’t like to assume what people are into, you know? But yeah, I own a sword! I mean, I wish I had a _real_ sword but unfortunately my mom won’t let me have those because she thinks they’re dangerous so for now I only have a few dragon figures and a bunch of small swords, like, the ones they make for kids, but some of them are really realistic, you know?’  
  
_Not really.  
__  
_ Car blinked.  
He hadn’t known two things.  
  
First, that Star was such a fantasy geek.   
Second, that it was a weirdly charming look on him.  
  
⚔  
  
‘If we… shadows… have… uh. Have what?’ Star looked distressed. ‘What have the shadows done, Car?’  
  
‘Offended,’ he answered. ‘And no worries. You’ll get it.’  
  
‘I don’t think so,’ Star sighed, and put the script on the ground. ‘It’s so stupid. You could ask me to recite the Goblet of Fire movie, and I could.’  
  
Car’s lips twitched. ‘That’s your favourite one?’  
  
Instantly, the despair disappeared from Star’s face, and he sat up excitedly. ‘Obviously! We learn about these other wizarding schools? How cool is that?’  
  
‘I can’t believe you forgot the dragons.’  
  
Star gasped, and looked in shock at Car.  
  
‘I can’t— I did. Wow…’ he trailed off, staring at the ground, but there was a smile on his face as he added softly, ‘Luckily, I have you to remind me.’  
  
Car felt his cheeks heat up. Wow, maybe his good memory was a valuable talent after all.   
  
Feeling a little awkward, he scooted over and picked up Star’s abandoned script.  
  
‘Ready to try it again?’ he asked. Casually. _So_ casually, the words were probably wearing sweatpants.  
  
‘Yeah, okay,’ Star said, holding out his hand. ‘Give me the script, Oberon, so I can fail once again.’  
  
‘Hey, you could’ve been forced to navigate a freaky maze, only to end up crashing Voldemort’s birthday party.’  
  
A surprised laugh escaped Star’s mouth, and then he was clutching his stomach, laughing loudly. ‘W-wha-’ he gasped. ‘ _Birthday party?_ ’   
  
Car nodded seriously. ‘Yes, technically.’  
  
Shaking his head, Star opened his script again.   
Only now, there was a big grin on his face.  
  
‘Okay, you’re right,’ he said. ‘This is not _that_ bad.’  
  
⚔  
  
‘This sport, well carried, shall be chronicled. If you have any pity, grace, or manners, you would not make me such an argument,’ Violent boomed through the theatre.  
  
Sitting backwards on a chair, Car watched the one-woman show called Violent’s rehearsal.  
She was constantly pushing the poor girl who played Hermia aside, while the guy playing Lysander desperately tried to get her attention.  
  
In a while, Star and him would have a scene together. Judging by the look of stress on Star’s face, he was also acutely aware of this.  
Car quickly turned his attention to Violent again before he’d stare too long, which would be way creepy.   
  
With a dramatic gesture, Violent swept her bright yellow hair out of her face.   
  
Two things.  
  
Car liked yellow.  
But he didn’t like Violent’s hair colour.   
  
He didn’t care that it was out of a bottle, it just looked weird. She’d looked way better when her hair had been dark.   
Wait.  
  
‘Do you think you can convince Violent to use this new shampoo you love?’ Car asked.  
  
Star looked up in surprise. ‘Shampoo? Uh I can’t really recommend— Why?’  
  
‘Remember the thing you could help me with? This is it.’  
  
‘No, uh… More like, why would she listen to me?’  
  
Car avoided Star’s pear green eyes as he answered. ‘Because your hair is beautiful.’  
  
Silence.  
  
Suddenly nervous, Car looked at Star out of the corner of his eye.  
  
Knees drawn to his chest, Star was repeatedly folding and unfolding the corner of the script. Though his eyes were glued on the words, they were shifting too quickly over the page to actually be reading.  
  
Finally, he said, ‘H-huh, okay, I mean— I’ll try.’  
  
‘Great,’ Car said, already planning on driving past the drugstore before going home. ‘I’ll give you the bottle tomorrow.’  
  
‘Change scene!’ Ms Salisbury, the director, called out.  
  
_And action.  
__  
_ Star stood up and walked towards Violent before she could disappear into her backstage room. A room no one needed but her.   
Figured.  
  
Car watched in anticipation, hoping it would go okay because Star sometimes fumbled with words, but to his surprise Star looked totally calm as he talked to Violent. Whose eyes lit up.   
She nodded excitedly.  
  
‘Oberon, you’re up!’ the director yelled.  
  
Straightening his shoulders, acting as cool and collected as he could, Car strolled onto the stage, just as Violent was walking off.  
  
‘Break a leg, bird brain.’  
  
‘Why don’t you take your own advice?’ he replied. ‘Also, birds are cool!’  
  
She rolled her eyes at him. ‘“Birds are cool”? Really? What are you, like, sixteen?’  
  
She swung her blindingly yellow hair over her shoulder before stomping off.  
  
Car eyed her hair and smiled.  
He’d get his _vengeance._  
  
⚔  
  
And it had worked. _Wow._  
  
‘It actually worked,’ Car whispered, as he watched Violent stand nervously between the rest of the crew, constantly plucking at her hair, which she’d put in a bun for once.  
  
A very purple bun.  
  
Car knew the yellow would take the purple perfectly. Her hair had probably been starving for something darker.   
  
But the _best_ part   
was that her hair now matched her name.  
  
Beside him, Star was shifting his weight from his left leg to his right, and back again.  
  
‘... And we really need to be working on movement soon. We only got two more months. Okay.’ The director clapped in her hands. ‘Let’s get back to work. Oh, and before we start... Very cool hair, Violet.’  
  
_What._  
  
‘Oh yeah, I _just_ wanted to say how cute it looks,’ the girl who played Hermia spoke up. ‘Really different.’  
  
_Wait.  
  
_ ‘Totally,’ the guy playing Lysander said. ‘I dig it.’  
  
_Wait wait wait._  
  
But it was too late. Violent looked up in surprise, before reaching up and, with a big smile, undoing the bun in her hair. The stage lights made Violet’s violet hair radiate pure coolness. _Oh fu—  
  
_ ‘Thank you, Carter,’ she spoke up, turning her dark eyes to him. Which made everybody turn to look at him. ‘I was unsure about the colour at first, but you _really_ convinced me.’  
  
Gritting his teeth, he tried to play it cool by shrugging. ‘No problem. I think I was doing everyone who had to look at your fluorescent hair a favour.’  
  
‘No, you were right,’ Violent continued, ignoring him. ‘Blonde was way too normal for someone as extraordinary as me.’  
  
She then looked him up and down, head to toe, dragging her gaze like you’d do your feet when you have to run laps during gym. ‘You on the other hand… I think blonde would suit you just fine.’  
  
‘I think you need to learn to value peo-’ he started, but Ms Salisbury quickly interrupted him.  
  
‘ _I think_ we need to start focussing on our movements. And some of us,’ she shot a quick, but not unfriendly, look at Star. ‘Still need to focus on their lines.’  
  
Beside him, Star jumped, bumping his arm against Car’s and causing these weird little sparks to shoot through his arm.  
  
‘Oh, sorry!’ Star whispered.  
  
Rubbing his arm absentmindedly, Car just shook his head and mumbled, ‘‘S okay.’  
  
⚔  
  
‘Believe me, king of…. Uh. King of…’   
  
‘Shadows,’ Car answered from memory.   
  
‘Shadows,’ Star repeated, then groaned in frustration, resting his face on his knees. ‘I’ll never memorize this,’ he mumbled.  
  
Car sat up straighter. They were lounging on the stage, long after everybody had already left the theatre.   
After observing the light control panel for a few weeks, Car had figured out the basics. He thought it might help Star get over his fear if he was learning his lines on the stage he was eventually supposed to say them out loud.  
  
‘No, come on, you’ll get i-’  
  
‘Car, you wanted her to look bad… Didn’t you?’ Star suddenly spoke up. He slowly lifted his head, his butterscotch hair pushed up where he’d rested it against his knees.  
  
It felt like there was no good answer here.   
So Car went with the most honest one.  
  
‘Yeah.’  
  
Star’s pear green eyes stared at the script in front of him. There was a frown on his face.  
  
‘Do I want to know why?’  
  
‘I don’t know…’ Car said, pulling the sleeves of his blue hoodie over his hands. ‘Do you?’  
  
‘I don’t like mean people.’    
  
_But._ _  
_  
‘Have you even met Violent?’ Car asked, perplexed. ‘If you want an example of someone who’s mean, you shou—’  
  
‘I never really talked to her,’ Star interrupted him. ‘But I don’t make judgements about people I’ve never really met.’  
  
‘Well, I’ve known her for 8 years, and I can tell you she’s—’  
  
‘It’s why I didn’t listen to my friends when they said you were trouble.’  
  
_What?  
_  
‘Trouble?’ Car repeated, kind of surprised, kind of irritated. ‘What am I, a Taylor Swift song? Just because I don’t fit into the standard—’  
  
‘Well, I don’t either. And neither does Violet. Have you considered that that might be a good thing? A thing we might have in common?’  
  
Car had no reply.  
So Star stood up.  
  
‘Anyways, uh, thanks for helping me study my lines, but I just don’t think I’ll ever learn.’  
  
And then he walked away.

Car stared at Star walking away, with his orange sweater, his butterscotch hair and pear green eyes.   
  
Two things.  
Car was sort of sure he liked vengeance.   
But he absolutely didn’t like Star being mad at him.  
  
⚔  
  
Meanwhile, rehearsals continued. Life continued, because that’s what it did.   
The only thing that didn’t continue, were the rehearsals and conversations between Star and Car.  
  
And Car missed those.  
Because even though Star had trouble remembering his lines, the rehearsals had never been frustrating.   
They’d always been fun.  
He got to listen to Star ramble about his favourite books and TV shows without ever breathing, or taking his pear green eyes off of Car.  
  
And it had been kind of great. Having someone look at him for a change.   
Though Car didn’t like the thought, he could almost imagine why Violet liked the attention so much.   
Almost.  
  
⚔  
  
‘They wilfully exile… uh, themselves from uh light, and must… must… for consort with… the black night?’ Star stumbled through his lines.  
  
Car stared at Star’s pretty eyes, that were looking around in frustration. Finally they landed, for the first time in a week, on him.  
  
Car jolted in surprise.  
  
‘But we are spirits of another sort,’ Star whispered at him, a little too loud for an actual whisper.  
  
‘What?’ Car asked, confused.  
  
‘It’s _your turn_ ,’ Star whispered back, frantically waving his hands. ‘But we are spirits of another sort, I with the morning’s love have oft made sport!’  
  
Car blinked.  
And blinked.  
  
Those were indeed his lines. He knew this because he’d read the play twice now.  
  
‘You know my lines?’ he asked.  
  
Star’s eyes widened. ‘I—What?’  
  
‘Sometime _today_ , Carter,’ Violent shouted from the sides.  
  
‘It’s okay, take your time,’ Ms Salisbury assured him.  
  
But Car’s heart was beating as fast as his brain was thinking. Which was fast.  
  
It was the answer to Star’s problem.  
Now that he thought about it, Star had given him the answer already, but because Car had been so focused on stupid Violent with her stupid sharpie hair, he hadn’t seen it.  
  
He smiled at Star. ‘That’s it! I know how I can help you!’  
  
‘By doing your lines?’ Violent sneered.  
  
‘Shut up,’ he said to her, but it lacked his usual irritation because he was still smiling at Star, who was looking at him with wide eyes and red cheeks. ‘Let’s practice together after rehearsal!’  
  
‘Whatever this is, I’m sure it’s nice, but can we get on with the play now, Car?’ the director said through her microphone. She’d leaned too close again, and everyone winced as she verbally slapped them in the face.  
  
Car nodded and quickly recited Oberon’s next lines.  
  
‘...Turns into yellow gold his salt-green streams,’ he said to Puck, to Star, who was watching him thoughtfully. ‘But, notwithstanding, haste; make no delay; We may effect this business yet ere day.’  
  
They were his final words before he had to leave the scene, the stage, but before he left, Star waved a hand at him, catching his attention, and mouthed quietly, ‘Okay.’  
  
⚔  
  
As soon as the door closed behind the director, who emphasised that they turn off the lights after they were done, Car blurted out the words he’d been holding inside for the entire last twenty minutes of rehearsal.  
  
‘You have auditory memory! That’s why you get good grades by just paying attention in class! That’s why you know _my_ lines, because you’ve been hearing them for weeks now!’ He smiled at Star, excited about having finally found the solution. ‘So if I read your lines out loud to you, you can memorize them just fine!’  
  
‘Oh my gosh,’ Star whispered, staring in shock at him. ‘Oh my gosh, you’re right.’  
  
‘Right?’  
  
‘Wow, I’d never known…’ And then Star smiled back at him, causing Car’s heart to jump around in his chest like it was the first sunny day of the year.  
  
Dropping his gaze awkwardly, Car dragged his yellow converse against the stage’s black floor.   
  
_Squeak squeak_.  
  
‘I don’t get it,’ Star said quietly. ‘Why would you want to do that to someone? Ruin something that’s important to them?’  
  
Car sighed.  
  
Two things he could do right now.  
Tell him the story, even though it was kind of awkward.  
Or not bother, and not let him get that close.  
  
Pulling the sleeves of his black hoodie over his hands, he looked at the stage, at the lights, at Star’s nerdy green sweater that made his eyes shine like—  
Wow, like the stars, yeah.  
  
‘‘Cause she did the same to me,’ he said. ‘I was in love with her, and she was the most important thing to me, and then she left me so she could have the lead in the school play.’  
  
‘Did she say that?’  
  
‘She said “My mom says if I want to focus on my career I can’t have boyfriends”.’  
  
‘Wait,’ Star said. ‘When was this again?’  
  
Car absolutely didn’t meet his eyes when he answered. ‘We were ten,’ he muttered.  
  
Star snorted, and immediately covered his mouth with his hand. But his laughter could still be heard through the theatre.   
  
And Car was definitely not pouting.  
  
Star laughed. ‘You’re pouting.’  
  
‘Nope.’  
  
‘Yeah, you are,’ Star teased, taking a step closer. Car felt his cheeks burn. ‘I thought you were so lucky to have such a good memory but…’ Star broke off with a smile, biting his lip to keep it from spreading too much.  
  
Too bad Car already felt a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.  
  
‘You think it’s ridiculous that I’m still not over something that happened so long ago. Right?’  
  
‘Oh!’ Star’s hands shot up and he started waving frantically. ‘No, no, no, definitely not!’  
  
Car stared at him until Star dropped his hands.  
  
‘Okay, maybe a little...’ he confessed, a small smile still on his face. ‘So. You want revenge?’  
  
_Squeak_ said Car’s converse slipping over the floor. ‘Yeah…’  
  
‘Well, you held up _your_ promise,’ Star started. ‘So maybe I should too.’  
  
The words made Car look up in surprise. ‘You’ll still help me?’  
  
‘Uh, y-yeah?’ Star nervously ran a hand through his hair, his eyes looking everywhere but at Car. ‘I mean— If you want me to?’  
  
‘Definitely. You have all the swords, remember?’  
  
Another laugh burst from Star’s mouth,   
one he didn’t bother covering with his hand.  
  
⚔  
  
‘So you were ten?’   
  
‘Yep.’  
  
‘How’d you know it was love?’  
  
Car looked briefly over his shoulder at Star. They were backstage, sneakily observing Violent’s rehearsal, searching for loopholes and/or options for _revenge_.  
  
As long as it wasn’t anything permanent or damaging, Star was his partner…   
in crime.  
Car felt his heart beat madly inside his chest at the thought, so he quickly squashed it like an annoying mosquito and turned his attention back to the stage.  
  
‘‘Cause she made me feel happy whenever I was with her,’ he whispered.  
  
‘That’s sweet,’ Star said. ‘You should hold onto people who make you feel like that.’  
  
‘Yeah, until she left me for fame and fortune.’  
  
Behind him, he could hear Star’s muffled laughter. ‘She was _ten_. She probably just did what her mother told her to do.’  
  
Car shook his head. ‘Nah, you don’t know Violent. When she loves something, she gets this intense focus, and she’ll stop at nothing to get what she wants.’  
  
‘Gee, I wonder who else is intensely focused on one thing.’   
  
Car could hear that Star was smiling, but still. He couldn’t let his honour be slighted like that.  
So he turned to Star.  
Totally unprepared.

It was like sitting down for a math test without your calculator.   
  
Star’s smile was bright and so _very_ cute.  
_Boom boom boom_ agreed Car’s heart as he stared at him. It was way creepy, and yet he couldn’t stop himself.  
  
‘Also,’ Star continued, like he didn’t notice the absence of Car’s calculator. ‘Did you really just call her _Violent_?’  
  
‘Well, she’s violent in getting what she wants.’  
  
‘I don’t think there’s anything wrong with fighting for what you want,’ Star whispered.   
  
His pear green eyes, muted by the darkness backstage, were staring straight at Car as he said this.  
  
What even was math.  
  
⚔  
  
This was a bad idea.  
  
Not only was it breaking Car’s hard fought aesthetic, it was also making him incredibly nervous, and he had always been bad at hiding his nerves.  
  
‘Everyone, this is Car,’ Star introduced him with a smile, scooting his chair a little to the side to make more room for him.  
  
Opposite them, all of Star’s friends were staring at Car.  
_Awkward._   
Pulling his hoodie over his face probably wasn’t the best idea right now, but it was very tempting.  
  
Instead, Car said, ‘Hi. What’s up?’  
  
He _never_ said “what’s up”. Ugh.   
  
‘Is your name really Car?’ one of them, a guy wearing round, _red_ glasses, asked. Very hip.  
  
Okay, Car shouldn’t judge with his _yellow_ converse. Maybe those glasses were his trademark, his aesthetic, what did he know?  
  
‘No, it’s a nickname,’ Car answered. ‘I hate my own name.’  
  
‘Oh, same as Alistar,’ a small guy to Car’s left said. ‘That’s why we call him Aragorn.’  
  
When the guy saw Car’s eyebrows shoot up to the stars, ha, he added with a grin, ‘He requested the nickname. No joke.’  
  
_For real?  
  
_ Car turned to Star, who was getting blurrier with the second as happy tears sprang into Car’s eyes.   
Star seemed to be feeling very awkward.   
And he was blushing. _  
__A lot_.  
  
Car wiped the tears from his face. ‘Why on Middle Earth did you pick that name?’  
  
Some of the guys at the table snickered at his joke, and that felt pretty awesome.   
It was nothing in comparison to Star’s embarrassed, muttered answer though.  
  
‘‘Cause I thought he was hot…’  
  
Suddenly, _nerves_ were shaking Car’s limbs.   
But instead of keeping his mouth shut, he chose to see it as a sign.  
His body was actually shaking him to _answer_.  
  
‘Fair enough,’ he said, awkwardly scraping his throat around the words. ‘I mean, he _is_ hot.’  
  
Star looked up _so_ fast, Car was afraid he’d twisted his neck or something. If that was even possible.   
  
Pear green eyes stared in shock at him for a second or two, before Star was nodding frantically.  
  
‘Y-yeah, yes, definitely!’  
  
⚔  
  
‘Was, uh, was that too soon?’ Star mumbled, hands nervously folding the edges of the script while they were walking towards the theatre.  
  
‘No, not too soon,’ Car answered, doing his best not to start grinning awkwardly. ‘Cause that would be, you know, awkward.  
  
‘Oh.’ Star sighed in relief. ‘Great.’  
  
The question was out of Car’s mouth before he could filter himself. ‘So your friends know you’re into guys?’  
  
With a flutter, the script fell to the ground. Star immediately bent down to pick it up, but he was clearly flustered.  
  
Car felt kind of guilty.  
  
‘Sorry,’ he said. ‘That was rude.’  
  
‘No, no, no, it’s f-fine, really!’ Star straightened himself, brushing a strand of butterscotch hair behind his ear. ‘Yeah, yes, they know I’m gay.’  
  
Car nodded and wanted to start walking again, when he noticed Star nervously folding the corners of the script.  
  
‘What is it?’  
  
‘So, uh... Do people know you’re, uh… into guys?’  
  
Car shrugged, pulling the sleeves of his dark blue hoodie over his hands. ‘Nah. I don’t really like telling people I’m bi. It instantly becomes the only thing people focus on, you know?’  
  
‘That’s it,’ Star whispered. His pear green eyes stared at Car, who felt his cheeks turn red. Apple red if he was going for the whole fruit analogy.  
  
‘That’s it!’ Star exclaimed, startling Car out of his staring. ‘People notice the gay!’  
  
‘The… gay?’  
  
‘Yes! I know how you can get revenge!’   
  
_Revenge._

Car was listening.  
  
⚔  
  
It _was_ genius.   
And totally not harmful to anyone but Car’s nerves. Hence why he told Star it was totally fine, and yes, no worries, this would go well.  
No need to practice or plan much apart from timing.  
  
What a stupid decision.   
Because at opening night, Car was jittery with nerves, his yellow converse squeaking as he walked back and forth on the polished floors backstage.  
  
Star and the red glasses friend walked up to him then.  
  
‘Hi, Car!’ Star greeted him enthusiastically, looking absolutely _green_ in his Puck outfit.   
And still.   
Still, Car only saw the enchanting green of his eyes.  
  
‘Hey,’ he mumbled, not stopping his nervous pacing.  
  
‘I heard what you’re doing,’ red glasses guy said. ‘Super cool. And good luck with the acting too.’  
  
_What?  
  
_ ‘You _told_ him?’ Car asked, turning in shock to Star. ‘Now I can’t back out!’  
  
For a second, before the surprise settled in, there was hurt on Star’s face.   
It was absolutely devastating to see.  
Worse than the thought of not getting revenge.  
  
‘You don’t want to…’ Star trailed off, leaving the most important and nerve-wrecking thing out of the sentence.   
  
‘No!’ Car immediately exclaimed. ‘Yes? No, you know what. I was just having stage fright. Let’s do this.’  
  
Understanding settled on Star’s face, and he nodded, giving Car a sweet smile.  
  
‘Same,’ he said. Then added shyly, ‘But it’s going to be perfect.’  
  
Just then the backstage bell rang, announcing the beginning of the first scene.  
  
⚔  
  
Because everyone had been working so hard, Star had insisted they wait until the very end.  
  
So here they were.  
At the end of the story.  
  
Swallowing away his nerves, and blinking against the bright stage lights, Car stepped forward, away from Titania, his bride, and closer towards Puck.  
Towards Star.  
  
He glanced quickly, nervously, at Star. Even in the harsh light, Star’s pear green eyes were sparkling.  
Like stars, yes.  
  
‘So shall all the couples three,’ Car said, wiping his hands against his cloak. ‘Ever true in loving be. And the blots of Nature’s hand…’ He looked at Star, and extended a shaking hand. For _revenge_. ‘Shall not in their issue stand.’  
  
Then he pulled Star closer, looking into his eyes for a brief second, noticing his shaky smile, before moving onto his tiptoes and pressing their lips together.  
  
Gasps from the audience.  
  
But Star’s small intake of breath was louder than any of them.  
  
This definitely beat the crazy, romantic trope of kissing in the rain, Car thought vaguely, before leaning back, his heart beating wildly in his chest.  
  
He stared at Star, who stared back at him.  
It felt like an infinity of staring, until Star whispered, ‘Your lines.’  
  
Two things.  
The play and his revenge were currently the last things on Car’s mind.

‘I forgot,’ he whispered back.  
  
Star smiled, and then flawlessly took over where they had left off.   
  
⚔  
  
It was all anybody could talk about.   
The kiss.   
  
It was unheard of. Gay romance in their Midsummer Night’s Dream? Unthinkable.  
Everybody raved about it, or discussed the importance of modern adaptations.   
  
Nobody was talking about Violent’s performance.  
  
Vengeance succeeded.   
And yet Car was shaking. Not because he had finally reached his goal, but.     
  
Two things.   
  
He couldn’t stop feeling Star’s lips on his,   
and Violent was walking towards him, slamming the door of her backstage room behind her.  
  
‘Good performance,’ Car said, before she could say anything. ‘Very memorable.’  
  
Violent frowned, then seemed to swallow whatever she was going to say. ‘Was that why?’ she asked. ‘Did you do this just to be memorable?’  
  
Before he could answer, Violent continued, crossing her arms over her chest and looking very _judgy_ at him. ‘Because it’s not worth it, Carter. That boy is seriously head over heels for you. You can’t just use him for fame.’  
  
Anger burst through Car like she’d physically punched him. ‘Did you just hear yourself talk?’ he scoffed. ‘That’s exactly what-’  
  
‘What I did, yeah,’ she interrupted him. ‘And I’m... Not proud of that. I mean, yeah, I was ten, so you should really back off with your intense behaviour, but it was bad of me to just drop you like that.’   
  
This— This couldn’t be what she was saying. Car gaped at her.   
  
Violent tossed her violet hair over her shoulder. Her eyes were serious as she said, ‘For what it’s worth, I really liked you.  
  
And to Car’s utter surprise and indignation,   
it actually _was_ worth something to hear that.  
  
All these years, he’d carried around the hurt of being tossed aside like it was nothing, while everybody kept telling him he needed to get over it.   
Because he was too young to know love.   
  
But Car had known love.   
_Knew_ love, and that was why he now smiled at Violet, and said, ‘Sorry for upstaging you, but I have to go now.’  
  
Violet rolled her eyes. ‘You could never upstage me,’ she said, then pushed him away.  
  
Giving him a very obvious sign to get moving.  
  
⚔  
  
Wriggling his way through the bodies leaving the theatre, Car all but bumped into red glasses guy. Whose name he really should’ve asked.  
  
‘Hey!’ he said. ‘Do you know where Star is?’  
  
‘Uh, yeah, I think he went outside to cool off.’  
  
‘Thanks!’ Car shouted over his shoulder, already running again.   
  
He might not be able to navigate the treacherous backstage paths, but he knew his way around outside.   
He used to always be outside, ‘cause that was where the outsiders were.  
  
Bursting through the school’s double doors, he looked left and right, and immediately spotted Star’s tall frame and butterscotch hair. He was sitting on one of the picnic tables.  
  
Car ran towards him.  
  
‘Hi,’ he breathed.  
  
‘Hi,’ Star answered, looking surprised to see him. ‘Good job out there! Even though you had stage fright, your acting was really good!’  
  
A gust of cold wind blew past, ruffling his butterscotch hair. Star looked briefly up at the sky. ‘Do you think we should go inside? I think it’s going to-’   
  
‘It wasn’t acting,’ Car blurted out.  
  
Wide eyed, Star slowly looked down at him. ‘W-what?’  
  
‘The kiss. It wasn’t acting.’  
  
Star sucked in a breath.  
Watched him for a few moments.  
  
Meanwhile, the sky above rumbled, though the sun was still shining brightly. So brightly that Star’s face seemed to light up.  
  
Or maybe that was because of something else.  
  
‘Does, um,’ Star started shyly. ‘Does that mean we can do it again?’  
  
Heart beating wildly, Car nodded. ‘Absolutely.’   
  
A blush spread on Star’s cheeks.  
He took a deep breath before reaching out, threading his fingers through Car’s hair and pulling him closer until Car was standing between his arms.  
  
Their chests were nearly touching.  
  
Star leaned in at the same time that Car wrapped his arms around his shoulders.  
It was a little like they were hugging, only they _most definitely_ weren’t hugging because then, very softly, Star’s lips touched his, and they were kissing.   
  
A raindrop splattered against Car’s cheek.   
And another.   
And many more.   
  
Two things you should know.   
Car liked both boys and girls.   
  
Two more things you should know.   
Car really, really liked butterscotch and pear.   
  
And, yeah, kissing in the rain wasn’t so bad after all.  
  
⚔ 

**Author's Note:**

> Gosh I love these boys. And Violet too, to be honest. 
> 
> Let me know what you thought of the story, if you want :)
> 
> Aaa okay okay bear with me, I'm going to plug my own writing for a sec here. Sorry in advance!!  
> SO I'M WRITING A BOOK!!  
> It's nearly finished too. All it needs is the funding so I can physically publish it. Check out my [Patreon](https://www.patreon.com/idnis) !! (i put the first two stories of the book on ao3 so maybe check those out first if you're unsure :) )


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